Beautiful Belligerence
by zoerachael
Summary: Love was never meant to be easy, but what do you do when the person you love hates the ground you walk on? Full Summary inside. Brittana x FaBerry
1. Prologue

**Beautiful Belligerence**  
Prologue  
_Zoe Rachael_

Summary: Brittany Pierce, daughter of LA power couple Anthony Pierce and Judy Fabray, and her step-sister Quinn find themselves the brand new students at an exclusive New York school Douglass Academy after a youthful indiscretion. What will Brittany do when faced with a less than friendly welcome, and more importantly, what will she do when she finds herself falling for her foe? Will Quinn be there for her sister or will she find herself entranced by another member of the school. And what will happen when most of the sophomore year find themselves being forced into the glee club?

A/N: Okay, so this is my new story, which I just had to write. It was inspired by a picture of the glee Cheerio girls dressed as the members of the houses from Harry Potter. Though this is not at all about magic or anything like that, the pic got my creative juices flowing and I came up with the entire outline for this world in minutes. Totally AU guys, trying to include all the glee characters, but I doubt you will see Will or Emma, but I'll probably include Sue, just because I love her so much. The prologue is just setting up the story so please read on. Hope to update frequently, but we all know how life is, unedited, just wanted to test the waters. Please review guys.

* * *

The air was dead silent and yet Brittany Pierce could almost cut the tension with a knife.

It was a familiar scene, her sister on one side of the room, her arms crossed across her chest, facing off with their father, he too with his arms crossed, but also with a vein pulsing across his temple, his face tomato red.

Even Quinn knew she had crossed the line this time around, and Brittany sensed her fear, having known every action and every expression her sister used to convey her emotions since she was seven. The way Quinn's jaw was set in anger, but her eyes showed a gloss that has nothing to do with anger showed Brittany that Quinn was worried, and the slightly elder blonde had every reason to be.

The last time the two had stood off like this, Quinn had been threatened with boarding school, and that was long before she had been arrested and escorted home by the LAPD. Brittany wondered for a brief moment if Quinn would get off with anything less than military school after her latest stunt.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Anthony Pierce asked his step-daughter, his teeth clenched and from her position on the couch next to her mother, Brittany could see him also biting his lip, something he did to stop his anger from boiling over.

Quinn stood in silence and looked down at the floor, dropping her arms to her side in defeat as she shook her head.

Brittany smiled in the direction of her sister, glad that she wasn't trying to back-chat their father this time, glad she was playing it safe.

"Do you remember what we said would happen if you did something like this again?" he asked, in what sounded like a calm voice, but was in reality his way of holding back the huge array of curses that threatened to burst forth from his mouth. "Do you remember where we said we would send you?"

Quinn nodded, looking up at her step-dad in fear. Brittany often wondered why her sister was so scared of their father, having been raised by him the same way Brittany had. It made her wonder, not often but at times like these, what is was that her real father did or said to her for her to be so frightened when their dad got angry.

Anthony Pierce was a man of his word, and when he had married Judy Fabray, he had promised her that she would raise her daughter the same way she was raising his own, and he had lived up to his word for almost ten years, and in all that time, he hadn't laid a hand on Quinn or Brittany, but still, Quinn was terrified of their father when he was angry, and it showed.

She nodded her response to Anthony quickly, returning her gaze to the floor after chancing a quick glance at Brittany, who smiled reassuringly.

"I'm sorry Quinn, but you will be leaving as soon as I can make the arrangements, you had better say goodbye to those delinquent friends of yours."

Quinn seemed to accept her fate without argument, so when there was an uproar, Brittany was shocked to find the shout emerge from her own throat.

"Britt-" her father started to say, but she stopped him, walking the distance across the room to her sister's side.

But Quinn was more than her sister, she was also her best friend, and she couldn't lose her to boarding school without a fight. "Dad, you can't send her to boarding school. I need her hear, she helps me through school, she is the only reason I am passing, she helps me study and she stops people from picking on me. I need her here, you can't send her away."

Her speech was heartfelt and she clutched to the arm of her sisters jacket, tugging the material hard.

"Britt, you don't need me. And I'll be okay, maybe I need it."

Brittany felt her eyes fill with tears at the prospect as the reality of the situation hit her. "No, you need to stay here," she said through her tears.

Quinn smiled at her and started to talk, but a thought came into Brittany's mind, and she felt that she had to shout it out before she forgot and so over the top of her sister's voice, Brittany practically screamed, "I'll go," looking over at her mother who was still sitting on the couch.

There was silence as thoughts ran through all of the room's occupant's minds, and Brittany could see her father's distaste at the idea, but she didn't give him the chance as she wrapped her arm around her sister's, looping them together tightly. "If she goes, I go," she said firmly, determination in her voice, and she could see resolve reflected back at her in her father's eyes.

But out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother smile, and she knew that if Quinn did leave, she'd be right by her side.


	2. The Captain

**Beautiful Belligerence**  
The Captain  
_Zoe Rachael_

A/N: This is the introduction to the school and to Santana, explained by the title, please let me know what you think. Also… J-Fo is a reference to Jane Fonda, who inspired my original character Laura, who is the first of a few supporting characters of my own invention. Enjoy and let me know guys, I know it's not the best chapter, but I thought if I wrote it in any other way I would be giving too much away. xx

* * *

The summer was over, leading into what promised to be a cold fall, leaving the beds in the boarding houses at Douglass Academy filled with the bodies of students. The autumn sun rose orange over the vast expanse of the grounds, spilling into the small valley after rising above the small hills surrounding the campus.

It made its way first into the eastern side of Harrison House and into the window of sophomore and recently promoted cheerleading captain Santana Lopez.

She woke to the sun in her eyes from the small crack in her curtains with a smile on her face. The new room came with the job, her cheerleading coach, newly instated at the school was from a small town in Ohio coming off five back to back National cheerleading titles, had insisted that her captain needed her own personal quarters. Bending to her will and the sheer authority she possessed, Principal Figgins and Miss Holiday the boarding coordinator cleared out the other bed which had once occupied the room on the top floor of Harrison House and Santana had moved her belongings in the previous day.

Her previous roommate, Mercedes had helped her move her things, vocalising her distaste at the idea of it all, but Santana knew that her friend and fellow Dazzler would be a common guest in her private room, much like many others at the Academy.

Her day started just like any other, she woke, showered, dressed and then packed her backpack for the day before moving out of Harrison house and across the dewy grounds to the main academic building which was a fair hike across the large campus.

Mercedes and Laura were waiting for her in the large open foyer and together, the three of them walked into the warmth of the cafeteria located at the back of the building.

As was usual since the three of them joined the Dazzlers in their freshman year, three equally popular sophomore jocks were waiting for them at their usual table, their breakfasts already laid out for them by the small but confident girl who sat at the side of Coach Sylvester at the teachers table.

Puck smiled as soon as he saw her, and Santana felt herself grin at the attention. Mike and Matt, always present at the side of Puck also glance her way before the two of them moved to their respective partners and offered them a good morning kiss.

Breakfast ran just as it always did, Santana taking a few bites of her already small breakfast before turning to Puck and showing the whole school her power over him and all of them by sucking his face for the remainder of the meal. Laura and Mercedes quickly follow suit, pulling their own football players into passionate lip locks, Mike practically folding Laura over the table to get more of her.

It was common knowledge around the school that no one could mess with them, the three of them had found themselves at the top of the social pyramid from the time they had started at Douglass, and the three boys attached themselves to the cheerleaders fairly quickly.

Santana and Puck had been dating officially for nine months, before that finding themselves indulging in the occasional roll in the hay, but it only took them a few months to realize that their social standing increased tenfold if they were involved, and so they had made their relationship official.

Of course it wasn't a conventional relationship to say the least, Santana and Puck still slept with other people, Puck having the previous night taken Rachel Berry, the quarterback's former girlfriend back to his room after a small party in Monroe house. Santana herself had gone back to her room alone that night after having a quickie with the quarterback himself in Kurt, another of her fellow Dazzlers room.

It was how their relationship worked, and they were both happy with that, and Santana found that people around her seemed to be more frightened of her considering the nature of their relationship, the girls knowing that at any time, she could swoop in and take their boyfriends for a quick romp, knowing that the boys would give little to no protest.

"Did you hear?" Santana heard from behind her, her mouth still attached to Puck's, his hand wandering up her pleated skirt. "There are two new girls starting today, sophomores, Wendell saw them driving up the drive an hour or so ago, they should be in first period."

Santana found herself oddly interested in the conversation going on behind her, but she didn't pull away from Puck, allowing him to continue his groping, his fingers on one hand managing to brush the edges of her spanks, the other hand finding its way underneath her grey and green Harrison sweater, moving upwards towards her breasts.

"Houses?"

"Apparently they're like sisters or something, but the school is so full they had to separate them. Wendell heard Monroe and Taylor."

Santana heard a chuckle, "They won't even be together in classes, they must be twins if they are both sophomores" The conversation was becoming even more intriguing for her, and Santana actually pushed Puck's hands away without ending their kiss to concentrate more on the words spoken between the two girls behind her.

"I guess. Wendell heard that they want to try out for the cheerleading squad, apparently one of them was captain at their old school and the other was second."

Santana's head snapped in the direction of the conversationalists when she heard the last part of their conversation.

Puck looked confused, but didn't protest as Santana pushed herself out of her seat and grabbed the back of Mercedes identical Harrison sweater who in turn grabbed Laura's grey and purple Grant sweater and the three of them moved into formation, Santana flanked by the other two as they walked from the cafeteria into the hallway, making their way to the grand foyer which lead to the offices.

Coach Sylvester's office was bigger than all the others, somehow managing to convince Principal Figgins to trade his own office for a much small one once occupied by the old cheerleading coach, Coach Bradley.

Santana knocked politely on the door before she opened it at the sound of the coach's grunt.

"Ah, if it isn't my captain flanked by Bambi and Thumper. What can I do for you ladies?"

Santana didn't even wait for her coach to look up before she spoke, her voice harsh and full of anger. "Our squad doesn't need any more members, we have a good dynamic and we shouldn't disturb that. If we hold tryouts or bring in new members we won't have a chance at regionals."

Coach Sylvester looked up, her eyes grinning. "First of all S-Lo," she started, standing and staring Santana down, "This is my squad and I will kick-out and add members as I see fit. Second, your squad has about as much chemistry as Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtown, if we're even going to make it to regionals we need to change things, I started that by making you captain, don't make me change my mind, I'm sure Wanda or J-Fo would love a shot at the job."

Santana left the office with her signature scowl on her face, the two girls on her tail just as the first bell rang and they all moved off to homeroom. After fifteen minutes of gossiping and bitching with Mercedes, the bell rang again and they once again met up with Laura for another bitch session before first period, Santana taking to her favourite sport of freshman bunting, by taking two passing freshman by the collar and slamming them into each other, laughing as they scrambled away from her, unable to walk in a straight line.

Mercedes was in all her classes, being a fellow member of Harrison house. Laura on the other hand shared her classes with her fellow Grants' and the members of Taylor house. So the red head joined some of their fellow Dazzlers and made her way out of the building towards the science block. Mercedes was joined by more of their Dazzler team mates and followed Santana who had met up with Puck and Mike as they wove through the halls and walked over the catwalk to their Spanish class.

Santana noticed her as soon as they rounded the corner to their class room. The girl was blonde, tall, and Santana had to admit, she was attractive, something both Mike and Puck seemed to agree with, when both of them whistled in the girl's direction, Puck receiving a smack in the arm for his appreciation.

With her eyes narrowed, she approached the girl and pushed passed her into the room, something dropping in her stomach as she did so. The girl looked up with an apologetic smile, meeting Santana's glare with a sweet smile.

"Oh…I'm sorry," she whispered, her smile nervous, but still in Santana's eye's, sickly sweet.

Her reply was a glare, one that turned into a grunt when the girl went to open her mouth again. A satisfied smirk made its way onto Santana's face when the blonde girl looked down and closed her mouth.

Their Spanish teacher, Miss Holiday, introduced the new girl as Brittany Pierce, and Santana laughed as the girl was seated next to Tina Cohen-Chang, one of the school Goths and more importantly, one of the school's biggest losers.

The lesson and the day continued as usual, the only difference being that Santana spent her day trying to humiliate the new girl, and convincing all the other Dazzlers to do so as well. During classes she would sit at the back of the room, which was normal, and glare at the back of the girls head. She was sure the girl was not Dazzler's material, but she knew that her addition or not to the team was far from her choice. She did however make it her mission to make the girl's life hell if she made it onto the squad.

She didn't exactly know why she felt the need to cause the girl so much pain, but apart from interrupting her team and their dynamic, the girl and her sister threatened her standing, as did anyone who entered the school not knowing or fearing the wrath of Santana Lopez. But at the same time, the girl made Santana uneasy, everything from her posture to her smile causing Santana to feel like something was off with the girl, and she didn't want that kind of influence in her team.

And so began her mission to make sure that Brittany Pierce did not assimilate into her team, her mission to make sure that the girl was out of the school before the end of the school year.


	3. The Blonde

**Beautiful Belligerence  
**The Blonde  
_Zoe Rachael_

A/N: Here is the next part, just something I thought would set the tone for the rest of the story. Sort of managed to introduce some more original characters and showed some of Brittany's background. The first four chapters are designed to introduce the four main characters and set the tone of the story so the story itself will probably start after that.

* * *

The transition from LA brat to boarding school teen was one of the hardest things Brittany had ever had to do. Her mother's death when she was four was something she could no longer recall, her car accident when she was nine causing minor damage to her frontal lobe was a distant memory and all Brittany could recall that came close to being harder to deal with had been saying good-bye to her parents the day they had dropped them at Douglass Academy.

Judy had started crying from the time they had left JFK, Quinn not far behind her, once again begging that their father allow them to forget everything that had happened and go home. Their dad, despite his calm demeanour and seemingly careless attitude took the separation hard. He had after all cared for Brittany her whole life, and saw Quinn as his daughter, the other blonde girl only ever knowing him to be with her mom, only ever seeing her real father during the big holidays when he would fly into LA to give Quinn money or a gift, only to fly back out again.

Brittany had managed to hold it together until her mother hugged her and she broke down into tears, sobbing about how much she would miss both of them.

She had since then spent every second night on the phone to her parents, not only missing them but also seeing very little of her sister. They had joined the cheerleading squad and somehow managed to snare a seat together in the dining hall, but other than that, the two spent very little time as sisters or as friends.

Quinn seemed to be having a much easier time settling in than she was, having somehow managed to befriend a few girls from the cheerleading squad including Mary-Ann, her roommate and Brittany's housemate Klara. When they passed in the hallways, Quinn would smile, but for some reason, the two of them stopped conversing the same way they had when they had lived together in LA and Brittany for her part was taking the change hard.

Still, she managed to keep a smile on her face, despite being demoted to the bottom of the pyramid in cheerleading practise because the captain of the team had it in her for and the fact that the girl also had a target on her back, basically ensuring that Brittany walked through the halls alone day after day.

There was of course one exception, her roommate, Tina somehow became her saviour at Douglass academy, pushing her through the halls past the laughing jocks and Dazzlers when each day Brittany ended up with grape or raspberry slushy dripping off her chin at the hands of one Santana Lopez.

As Tina helped Brittany wash the corn syrup off her face for the twelfth day in a row, Brittany began to wonder just what exactly she had done to make the head cheerleader hate her so much. She remembered her first day, standing in the doorway and the Latina bumping into her, she remembered her stomach dropping to rest somewhere near her naval and her heart jump in her throat at the sight of her, but she couldn't remember doing anything that could have caused the girl to hate her.

Brittany soon found herself spending all her classes either staring at or thinking about Santana, the accident which had caused her to be demoted to the bottom of the pyramid coming as a result of Brittany hoisting Santana in the air, catching a glimpse of those perfect thighs underneath her white and grey skirt and losing her grip, both of the plummeting towards the ground with incredible force.

But the gorgeous Latina had hated her long before that incident, and Brittany wished she knew what she had done that caused the girl to hate her so much. She wished a lot of things when it came to Santana Lopez.

Tina had just handed her a hand towel to dry off her hair when Brittany heard the door open to the bathroom and watched as her sister strolled in, a look of fury on her face.

"Quinn-"

Her sister cut her off, "What the hell, Britt!" she practically screamed, "Why the hell didn't you tell me that Santana was giving you a hard time?"

Brittany, ever the avoider of conflict just smiled and shrugged, allowing her sister to pull her into the first hug they had shared since arriving at Douglass. "I didn't want you to worry. She can bother me all she likes, there is nothing I can do to stop it, I didn't do anything to start it."

Quinn smiled sympathetically at her sister, looking guilty, "This is my fault," she whispered, resting her head on Brittany's shoulder, "It's my fault you're here, you should still be at home with mom and dad. I'm so sorry Britt."

After breaking their hug, the two of them walked out of the bathroom together, Tina, ever present on their heels. Quinn gave one last smile toward Brittany before walking the length of the hallway to meet up with a girl Brittany didn't recognise. Brittany watched as Quinn took back her book bag from the girl and smile before they walked away together.

"Who's that?" Brittany asked, looking back at Tina who was watching Quinn as well.

"Rachel Berry. She used to be on the cheerleading squad and date Finn Hudson, but she and Santana had a falling out and she left the squad. She and Finn broke up just before the summer. Rumour has it that they could be getting back together."

Brittany nodded, indicating to Tina that she had been listening, but at the same time watching as an exchange happened between Santana and Rachel as the head Dazzler walked past her in the hall.

The rest of Brittany's day was the same as any other, she went to her classes where she sat with Tina and rested her head on her hand, giving her the optimum angle to stare at Santana, taking in the way her leg wrapped around the leg of the table.

In Spanish, Brittany watched as the dark haired girl smirked after catching her staring at her, a smirk that was somehow evil and beautiful at the same time, and crossed her legs, exposing more of the smooth tanned flesh, and Brittany wondered if it was on purpose or not. At the end of the lesson, Brittany found that she had been writing the girls name all over her notebook during the lesson and slammed it shut before anyone had the chance to see it.

Brittany was no stranger to her sexuality; having come out as a bisexual to her parents in her freshman year and had been glad to discover that they were completely fine with it.

She had experimented at her old school, had dated both guys and girls and found herself sleeping with most of them, but managed to avoid a reputation, probably because her sister was the captain of the cheerleading squad and that she was a cheerleader herself.

She was out and proud and everyone around her seemed to be okay with that, but that had been her old life, she knew things were different at Douglass. Quinn had warned her to keep it quiet, at least until they managed to work out what the people at Douglass were like, and Brittany had kept her word to her sister, but she felt like she was living underwater.

The drowning sensation had started the minute she had laid eyes on Santana, and had given her little respite since. Of course the girl was attractive, anyone with eyes could tell that, but for Brittany it was different. She felt like there was something about the girl that she was hiding, could almost see the well concealed pain hiding in her eyes and every time she looked at her she had to restrain herself from reaching out to her.

She couldn't fault her, no matter how many times Tina had told her to go to Principal Figgins or to Miss Holiday, Brittany couldn't get her into trouble, couldn't cause her any more pain, because somehow, she already knew she was hiding so much.

She wished she could be the one to bring out the Santana that she knew was inside, wished it was her that she ground her body against at the breakfast table every morning. She wished that the girl would give her a chance to show her just how much she was willing to do for her. She wished she had the guts, if nothing else, to at least tell her how she felt, tell her that there was someone, one person who cared about her, someone better than Noah Puckerman or any of those Dazzlers she spent so much time with.

For Brittany it was like it had been love at first sight, but for Santana, it seemed it had been completely the opposite.


	4. The Rebel

**Beautiful Belligerence**  
The Rebel  
_Zoe Rachael_

A/N: This is the third chapter depicting Quinn… thought I would start things off quickly when it comes to Quinn so here it is.

* * *

"What is a glee club?"

Quinn turned to her sister, her eyebrows raised and her bottom lip caught in between her teeth at the thought of her sister asking such an obvious question.

She was used to it of course; she had been the one to answer all of Brittany's obvious questions for as long as she could remember, always asked in that innocent yet serious tone, and always able to make Quinn smile. She was glad that even at this new school, in this new environment that her sister still somehow managed to hold on to her innocence. Quinn on the other hand found herself clutching at the girl she had once been, trying her hardest to show to those around her the hard shell that she had maintained so well at her old school that at Douglass, she seemed to have lost her hold on.

"You remember the movie _Sister Act 2_?" Quinn asked, waiting for her sister's nod before continuing. "Well, they were sort of like a glee club, it's where they sing and dance in front of an audience and try and win competitions like we do for the Dazzlers."

Brittany seemed to take a moment to process the information before she spoke again. "Your friend, the one with the nose, she saw me practicing for Dazzlers the other day and she told me I should join glee club."

Quinn felt her eyes go wide, "Why would you think I was friends with Rachel?"

Brittany's signature confused look crossed her features, her eyebrows furrowed low, her head titled slightly to the right and she narrowed her eyes in the direction of her sister. Quinn called it the _Brittany head_, something she would send in a text when she was confused about something, and demonstrate in person. The look was one of the other blonde's most endearing qualities in Quinn's mind, once again attesting to the blonde's innocence.

"Rachel and I are not friends," she continued, knowing that Britt had conveyed her confusion well enough not to voice it. "She is my lab partner, I don't even like her."

And she didn't. She found the girl completely infuriating, the way she spoke with a tone that showed to everyone around her that she was superior, at least in her own eyes. The girl managed to exert confidence and self-doubt at the same time, and the confusion surrounding her and the time that Quinn spent trying to decipher the girl infuriated her even more.

Then there was the girl's boyfriend. He added to the girl's irritating qualities, taking up half the hallway all on his own, walking with his girl on arm, a goofy smile on his face while Rachel looked up at him with something akin to adoration.

Really it was disturbing and Quinn told them so.

"I saw you talking to her the other day in the hall. You were acting like she was your friend."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Please, I'm more inclined to be friends with Tina."

She heard the words leave her lips but for the life of her she didn't know why they had. She was grateful to Tina for taking her sister under her wing, for allowing the girl to have an outlet other than herself, but if she was honest, she was jealous that the girl got to spend so much time with her sister while their time together was almost non-existent.

There were few times in their relationship over their years of living together as a family that Brittany had gotten angry at Quinn. Though Brittany lacked what Quinn called a _bitch filter_ and sprayed whatever came into her mind out of her mouth, there was usually little to no malicious thought behind them. Quinn on the other hand had a firm handle on her own filter, spilling out comments when they suited her, making the insults all the more cruel. Brittany knew this and when Quinn's filter failed her, Brittany was usually the unsuspecting victim.

"Britt I didn't mean-" but it didn't matter, Brittany had already collected her book bag from the table and started walking away.

The blonde shook her head at herself, looking back down at the bowl of oats that was completely untouched and pushed it away. Coach Sylvester would have been proud.

"Finally!" she heard from beside her, in a somewhat breathless whisper, "I thought she would never leave and… I have news."

It was Mary-Ann, joining her no doubt from her table across the room where she sat with their housemates and Klara, a fellow Dazzler. Klara, not to Quinn's surprise, turned out to be right behind Mary-Ann when Quinn turned away from her retreating sister's back and looked at them with a sigh.

Mary-Ann was a blonde girl of medium height with dark green eyes that shone brightly with excitement when Quinn looked at her. Klara on the other hand was a tall, too skinny girl who looked almost fragile but was in reality, stronger than most of the girls on the Dazzlers. Quinn found herself attached to Mary-Ann and her best friend from day one after being accepted onto the cheerleading squad and then discovering that Mary-Ann was her new roommate. Luckily, the two girls were quite easy to relate to, both of them nothing more or less than the typical cheerleaders, who had everything handed to them as children, and Quinn, for her part, could relate.

Raising her eyebrows and waiting for Mary-Ann to spill her news, Quinn forcefully managed to push any thoughts of Rachel and Brittany to the back of her mind.

"There is a party tonight and I was asked to invite you by Puck himself."

Quinn grinned. Puck was easily the best looking and most popular guy in the school. It was no wonder though; he was dating Santana Lopez who was, even in Quinn's mind, the biggest bitch she had ever met. This actually meant something coming from her, having claimed the title for herself many years previously. Luckily for her though, it was common knowledge that both Santana and Puck slept around with anyone they wished, giving Quinn the opportunity to hook up with the mohawked boy on only her third day at Douglass and almost every day since.

Much to her delight, Puck had told her a few nights previously that he planned on ending things with Santana, and Quinn, though she didn't really like him as anything more than a friend and a good lay, seized the opportunity to take a little of the power away from Santana Lopez.

Her day was normal, she slept through homeroom only to be woken my Mary-Ann as the bell rang and the two of them walked off to their first class which was right at the back of campus in the gym.

After gym, they walked back across the oval and into the main building, across the catwalk where she crossed paths with Puck who grinned and winked at her, despite the fact that Santana was hanging off his arm. Spanish class was as usual a riot, Mary-Ann once again misusing words and ending up saying things that should never be uttered in a classroom, causing Quinn and the rest of the class to laugh, including Miss Holiday who was fast becoming Quinn's favorite teacher of all time.

With Chemistry came the hell that was Rachel Berry, and Quinn almost gagged as Finn placed a peck on the back of Rachel's hand at the door before awkwardly bowing down the hall, still facing her. Rachel was her usual giddy self, increased ten-fold since she and Finn had reconciled their relationship a few weeks earlier.

"Good morning," the overly happy brunette said as she took her seat next to Quinn, dropping her book bag in front of her.

Quinn just nodded her response, afraid that if she opened her mouth she would actually projectile vomit, the image of Finn and Rachel still fresh in her mind.

"Did you finish the questions on Electron Dot Diagrams?"

After composing herself, Quinn turned to her lab partner and as usual got caught up in the smell of her perfume, wafting over in her direction. Quinn suppressed a cough as she caught a throat full of the scent and instead of the verbal response she had been planning, she once again just nodded, trying to decide whether it was better to breathe through her mouth or her nose.

Everything about the girl both fascinated and annoyed Quinn, and she found herself suppressing a scream as the lesson progressed when Rachel started writing the letters FH surrounded by love hearts in her note book, the simple sound of the pen scratching on the paper enough to drive Quinn crazy.

Eventually she excused herself and went to the bathroom where she intended on taking a few quick drags on a cigarette. As she walked into the bathroom however, she found that it wasn't empty as she had hoped.

Santana Lopez stood at the mirror reapplying what looked to be pink lip gloss with her face so close to the mirror she could have pursed her lips and kissed it. The Latina's eyes flicked to her in the mirror when she entered and she seemed to slow her motion to watch the girl out of the corner of her eye.

Quinn circled the edge of the bathroom, trying to decide whether to just go into a stall and puff on her smoke or show Santana her rebellious side and risk either her big mouth running to Coach Sylvester or gaining some points with her captain.

She couldn't say she liked the girl, she after all spent most of her energy torturing her sister, but Quinn also knew that Santana could pull strings for her, and the benefits of being on her good side definitely outweighed being on the bad.

Santana however made the decision for her, rolling her eyes clearly through the mirror and making her move to the door.

Quinn's filter, seemingly on the fritz, somehow allowed words to escape her just as the head cheerleader put her hand on the door handle. "What have you got against Brittany?"

Santana froze, clearly having heard her question, and she started to almost visibly shake at the words.

She turned slowly, clenching her fists at her sides as she did so.

"Why do you care?" she asked, her arms still shaking but the remainder of her body the embodiment of calm. Even her face seemed to lose all expression as she spoke and Quinn found herself completely fascinated by the change. "You hardly even speak to her; I don't know why you're suddenly her defender."

Quinn was taken aback, it sounded almost like Santana was looking out for Brittany. "She is my sister. It is my job to defend her."

Santana actually scoffed, "Haven't seen you take a slushy for her, in fact the only time you talk to her is when you're in the dining hall. Great sister you are." And without another word, the girl turned and left the room.

With much effort, Quinn managed to finish out her day without making any more unfiltered comments.

She made her way across the large campus after showering and changing towards Harrison house. She could hear the music across the grounds, knowing that she was late having made a quick detour into Monroe house to check on her sister.

After her words with Santana earlier, she made a point of seeking out and apologizing to Brittany who forgave her in an instant, which was so like Brittany. She had even gone as far as to promise that she wouldn't allow Santana to pull all the crap on her anymore, and Brittany just shrugged, telling Quinn that it didn't bother her.

Quinn apologized to Tina before she left the building, explaining as best she could what had happened that morning, and Tina too accepted her apology.

Despite her sister's assurances, Quinn left the Monroe building with a purpose, on a mission to help her sister. And it started with the dethroning of one Santana Lopez.


	5. The Diva

**Beautiful Belligerence  
**The Diva  
_Zoe Rachael_

A/N: This is chapter four based around Rachel and the last of the introductory chapters, so from the next chapter, things will start to kick off and when I say kick off… I do mean literally, so you'll have to read to find out. Please review because I'm not sure if people are reading, and if not, I won't be continuing. Thanks guys, talk soon (hopefully).

* * *

Rachel hated these parties, hated the sexual heat, the pulsating bodies and the music that pumped from the speakers so loudly that the she couldn't even hear what was being said in the song.

And yet she attended every one of them, even when she and Finn weren't together.

That of course had been a bad night, ending with Puck inside her, he had been gentle and persuasive and even during he had muttered soothing words in her ear, and yet Rachel still wished she could erase the memory from her mind.

But something was different this time, something more animalistic about the atmosphere, and Rachel suspected it had a lot to do with the tension mounting on the other side of the room.

Rachel sat in her corner, a drink in her hand that was long forgotten and Finn by her side busy bopping his head to the music out of time. She was watching across the room as two girls, one her former best friend and the other her current lab partner practically played tug-o-war with Noah Puckerman, something Rachel for her part just did not understand.

Rachel mostly concentrated on Quinn, she seemed invested in the fight, but for some reason, Rachel suspected that her investment had little to do with Puck himself and more to do with the other girl.

The diva had been intrigued by Quinn since the girl had first walked into her chemistry class. She walked with a confidence that was not reflected in her eyes, like she knew she had all it took to be confident, except the belief in herself. Even in their classes together the girl held back, even though Rachel was quite sure she knew the answer to every question asked, she never raised her hand to answer. The girl muttered a lot, and wrote down her answers to a question when asked as though trying to prove to herself and no one else that she knew the answer.

It was a quality that Rachel admired, the ability to be satisfied with one's self and not fighting for approval of those around you. A quality Rachel knew she did not possess.

Rachel wished she had the down to earth quality the blonde cheerleader possessed, knowing that her outgoing and confident exterior is what made her an outcast to all those around her, including the blonde who was still staring Santana down like there was more behind her argument than the possession of Puck.

Rachel didn't know why, but she felt herself drawn to the blonde girl, found herself pushing a little too hard to be in the girls good graces, only finding herself met with rolled eyes and deep sighs of appreciation when she stopped talking. She was, at the very least, not hated by the girl, which was something Rachel wished to work on.

Then of course there was Santana. The two of them at the beginning of their freshman year had been completely inseparable, two peas in a pod so to speak. Their vastly different dynamics somehow managed to complement each other and allowed the two of them to exist harmoniously within the school and the cheerleading squad. It wasn't until Rachel started showing an interest in Finn that things changed between them.

Santana's reasoning had been that she thought Finn was a '_dweeb_' and Rachel could do better, but as time passed and Santana started up her 'relationship' with Puck, Rachel started to see a different side to her friend and went behind her back to start dating the quarterback.

Santana had practically exploded upon hearing the news, charging into Grant house and demanding to see her friend. The fight that had ensued was explosive, Rachel ending it by simply throwing her Dazzler's uniform at her friend and telling her not to worry, she had no interest in taking her social standing away from her.

Many of their mutual friends had insisted on reconciliation, but at both of their insistence, they hadn't shared a civil conversation since. As a result, Rachel had lost most of her friends, Natalie, another Dazzler sneaking across the hallway to talk to Rachel whenever she got a chance, but as time moved on; those chances became less and less frequent.

Rachel didn't mind terribly, her free time after leaving the Dazzlers gave her time to join the choir, the show choir and the school play, showcasing the talent that she had known from a young age was what she was born to do, sing.

Her life was very different, most of her free time spent with Finn, something she had missed during their short separation, but she too, missed having friends to interact with, which was where Quinn came in.

There was no real reason to it, no motivation behind it, but she desperately wished to be friends with the girl, and it was that wish that pushed Rachel to her feet as she saw Santana approach Quinn with a menacing look on her face.

It was only a few short strides over to where the two other girls were facing off, and Rachel easily inserted herself between the two, facing Santana with a confident look in her eyes.

"Just leave them, Santana. We all know you're only using Puck anyway, you don't have any feelings for him so you may as well just go find yourself a new piece of arm candy."

Santana looked at her, completely shocked. It had been a long time since she had stood up to the Latina, a long time since she had even spoken a word to the other girl. The two of them were seen as rivals within the school, but Rachel for her part cared little about what Santana was doing, and Santana lost interest in playing pranks on her pretty much before she started.

Their lives were separate, they had no classes together, they were in different houses, they didn't even share the same extra-curricular activities, their only common ground being that they both dated members of the junior football team and walked the same halls. "Listen here Manhands," Santana spoke, Rachel taking note that the Latina still managed to remember the humiliating nick-name that she had given her immediately after their falling-out, "This little tiff has nothing to do with you. If Barbie over there wishes to call you in as her side-liner, I'm sure she will give you a shout out. Although, I'm sure she has more standards than that, or she wishes to keep her eardrums."

Rachel actually enjoyed the banter, and she was glad she knew all the buttons to hit, "If she wanted to keep her ear drums she and the rest of the squad would have to stock-pile the ear plugs because from memory, you like to belt them out in the showers, rather off pitch." Santana was extremely sensitive about her singing voice, something Rachel knew quite well. Truth was, Santana's voice was rather smooth and sweet, and even Rachel would admit in other conditions that the girl was just as good as she was. "And I am wondering, are you really fighting for Puck, because last time I checked you seemed to have an odd interest in Quinn's sister."

It was an instant reaction as Santana's face went red and she watched her old friend ball her hands into fists.

The end of the argument came swiftly as two girls approached behind Santana and pulled her away. Rachel spun on her heel and smiled at Quinn who was looking at her, as was Puck who was standing behind her. "Santana is easy to handle if you know what buttons to push," she said, moving to walk back towards Finn who was smiling at her across the room.

"Thank you," she heard sweetly from behind her, and she turned back momentarily to wink in the direction of the other girl.

Rachel reclaimed her seat next to Finn and after sharing a kiss and a quick conversation with him, she turned her attention back to Quinn and Puck.

The tall runner had his arm draped across Quinn's shoulder and chest from behind her, and he seemed to be whispering in her ear. Quinn on the other hand was watching the ground, a thoughtful look on her face.

Rachel watched the blonde girl, noticing how she flinched away from Puck slightly as he kissed her neck, and her movements enforced in Rachel more intrigue when it came to the blonde, and she vowed to figure the girl out, no matter what it took.


	6. The Riot

**Beautiful Belligerence  
**The Riot  
_Zoe Rachael_

A/N: Okay, so now the instructions are over, the story begins. May have gone a little over board with the pop-culture insults, but they just spilled out. For those of you who don't know, Alice Tinker and the Vicar are characters from the BBC comedy _The Vicar of Dibley _and Abby is a reference to the gothic lab tech from _NCIS_. Hope you enjoy how it all goes, each part will still be told from a single point of view, that doesn't necessarily mean a single pov per chapter, if it get confusing, please let me know.

* * *

Things were changing for her, her routine, her perfectly executed schedule and plan for her life had in the past few weeks been running off course, and Santana hated it when things in her life didn't run according to plan.

After the disaster that was her childhood and her home-life, Santana had welcomed her first day at Douglass academy with an enthusiasm that none of her fellow freshman had shared. She had met Mercedes first, her roommate from their first day, their bitch combining to make them the ultimate team right from the word go. Lauren had been next, a large girl that was in their house that Santana thought she would despise, but as time went on, the girl grew on her to become one of the only female friends that Santana had that wasn't a Dazzler.

The boys from Harrison house were next, introduced at a house introduction party thrown every year by the seniors to get to know their new house members. Their introduction party had turned into a drinking party and Santana had ended her night in Puck's bed, paving the way for the next year of her life.

It only took Santana a week to make the Dazzlers squad, and from that moment, her life had become like an open book to all those around her, every person in the school seemingly allowed to dig into her background, which was when Santana stopped talking about it. Her life became about the here and now, discarding her previous experiences and apparently her previous life for the one she lead at Douglass, and until the morning she walked into the dining hall to find Puck sucking face with Quinn Fabray, it ran smoothly.

Mercedes was still at her side as usual, having met her in the living hall of Harrison house that morning, Matt right at her side. Santana, though she would never admit it to anyone, thought that Matt was a good choice for her best friend, sweet, good head on his shoulders and he treated Mercedes better than Santana did which put him in her good books since the two of them started dating.

Laura, the other usual member of their group however was absent, instead sitting at Quinn's side at the table usually only occupied by the two blonde sisters, Mike beside her talking animatedly with the blonde's sister who was across the table.

Santana groaned angrily at the sight, seeing the girl who she took pleasure in torturing sitting with what could possibly be seen as the most popular boys in the school. Mercedes raised a hand at the noise, placing in on the back of Santana's shoulder and leaning in, whispering in the other girl's ear.

Her friend's words changed her angry scowl into a grin and she turned back with a smirk that matched the one Mercedes was wearing. She took her time to survey the room, looking up at the teacher's table and noting that the only member of staff that was still in the hall was the coach, and her grin widened.

The table which sat her targets had clearly noticed her presence as three of them, not including Puck and Quinn turned to look in her direction. The movement however only spurred Santana forward and she started walking across the room, the grin still firmly in place. She watched as Brittany turned away from her as soon as they made eye contact, she found herself moving faster, rolling her tongue across her top teeth as she did so, Mercedes and Matt right behind her.

It seemed to happen in slow motion from there. It took only a few seconds to reach the table, picking up as she walked a full bowl of porridge from in front of an unsuspecting freshman. She steadied it in her hand, placing her palm at the bottom and wrapping her fingers up the side like she was holding a basketball. And then, in one smooth motion, spraying some of its contents across the table to land on Quinn, Puck, Mike and Laura, she upended the bowl on top of the blonde's head, her grin widening as it oozed down the sides of her face.

"Oh Brittany," she said between laughs, having trouble keeping them in check, "I think you need to fix your pony tail before practise, coach won't be happy if you turn up looking like that."

They three of them walked across the room to their table, barely keeping in their laughter which the three of them let loose once they sat at their seats. Santana watched as Quinn stood, finally tearing herself away from Puck long enough to send a glare across the room at Santana and walk around the table to see to her sister. By the time she had reached her however, Tina Cohen-Chang had meandered through the crowded hall with napkins and was cleaning off the blonde's face and hair.

Together, the three girls walked out of the hall but not before Brittany looked over her shoulder at her and sent her a sad smile to which the Latina responded with a nicely timed middle finger in their direction. The blonde in question just turned away and lowered her head, letting her sister and her friend lead her out of the hall.

Her grin remained solid until homeroom, fading as she walked into the room finding Puck sitting at their usual desk.

"Why are you sitting here?" she asked him, throwing her book bag down on the table and taking her seat, not willing to let his presence bother her.

He looked at her with a grin, "This is my seat babe." She rolled her eyes at him, pulling out a magazine and waiting for coach Beiste to make and appearance and mark her present so she could get back to planning the next horrible thing she could do to Brittany. "So what do you say you and I get some grass from Fobbs tonight and get down and dirty while we're high as kites?"

Santana's eyebrows furrowed as she turned and looked at her former boyfriend. "What's wrong Puckerman? She already not putting out, geez, that was fast, what is she, Catholic?"

Puck shrugged, "Quinn is hot and all but I can't deny who I am, I'm not a one woman man, you understood that, I'm guessing you still do, just like I know neither are you, just like I know what you scream when you come and I bet you wouldn't like that one to come out. So…" he said, raising and wiggling his eyebrows at Santana's angry face, "What do you say?"

Her reply was to simply punch his arm and turn her attention back to her magazine.

After Beiste arrived and marked her present, Santana gathered up her book back and made a bee-line for the girls toilets, her mind running frantic as she tried to push thoughts to the back of her head. As she pushed the door to the bathroom open however, her senses were overwhelmed as she found herself face to face with the only girl in the school that smelt like _that_.

Brittany took a step back instantly, revealing that she wasn't alone in the bathroom. Quinn, Tina and Laura were all resting against the sinks on the opposite side of the room, all scowling in her direction. Santana immediately pulled out her cell phone, shooting off a quick text to Mercedes and Lauren as she took a step further into the room, a grin forming on her face.

"Well, well, well," she spoke, looking directly at Brittany who looked back at her with that blank expression that Santana was yet to decipher, "If it isn't Alice Tinker and her band of dupes," she turned to Quinn, "Let me ask you something Vicar, does it usually take you an hour to stop sucking face with the school's biggest man slut before you check on your poor disabled sister. I mean really, Abby here had basically crossed the room twice before you made it around the table."

She saw Quinn's fists clench and unclench quickly as she spoke, "She isn't disabled," she growled through her teeth.

Santana raised a brow, "No?" she asked, "Could have fooled me. From what I have seen she belongs in a ward, not in a school."

It took only a second for Quinn to launch at her, but Santana was ready and waiting, her grin not wavering as she used Quinn's momentum to push the girl to her side and onto the floor. "If you want to fight me Quinn, just let me know a time and a place, I have no problems messing up that face of yours, or breaking any part of that," she pointed at Brittany and let her eyes travel over her lean and beautiful body, "Body," she finished, her eyes meeting Brittany's for a moment.

Laura and Tina helped Quinn to her feet while Santana crossed the room, taking a seat on the window sill and pulling out a cigarette, "Now, why don't you and your band of retards just toddle off while us big girls chat."

As if on cue, Mercedes and Lauren walked into the bathroom, appearing behind the girls facing off with Santana, as though they were some kind of body guards and Quinn, Laura and Tina moved to escort Brittany out of the bathroom.

Up until lunch, the rest of the day ran smoothly, though without the usual constants of Laura and Puck at her side. Her confidence was boosted however when during their morning break she was approached by three different guys asking her out. She found that she still had the confidence to turn each of them down.

"Puck is an ass anyway," she heard Mercedes saying to her as they walked early through the halls towards their Spanish classroom. "I mean whether he is good in the sack on not, his street cred only comes from the fact that he presents that he is a bad ass. You have that down all on your own."

Santana smiled, "True. I know I don't need him, but there is still no saying that if the offer was there I wouldn't use him for a booty call. Like I said, he had his shit together in the bedroom, even if he is fucked up in every other aspect of his life." Mercedes responded with a chuckle as they walked into the empty Spanish room.

The two girls went about putting chalk dust all over one of the classroom chairs before the bell rang and the two of them took their seats at the back of the room.

The Latina watched as the rest of the class filed into the room, watching closely as Brittany turned the corner to walk through the door, looked up and saw her and after showing a brief sad smile, lowered her head and took a seat in the chair that she and Mercedes had just dusted. Santana turned and saw her friend turn and smirk in her direction before returning her attention to Miss Holiday as she walked into the room.

After Spanish Mercedes and Santana walked behind Brittany, pointing and laughing as they walked to the dining hall for lunch, enjoying that those around them joined in their laughter as they noticed the chalk dust covering the back of Brittany's plaid yellow-grey skirt.

After taking their seats in the dining hall, still chuckling about the chalk dust, Santana heard a high pitched squeal come from across the hall and turned to grin as Brittany was being dusted off by her sister who was talking angrily. Another round of laughter erupted from Mercedes and Lauren and Santana joined them in their hysterics.

It wasn't long before there was more yelling across the hall and Quinn stood from her table, followed by Laura and Tina and then a reluctant Brittany who seemed to be talking softly to try and calm her sister. Nothing seemed to be stopping her though as the group started making their way across the hall towards them, Puck and Matt quickly rising to follow their women on their mission.

"Quinn, don't worry about this, I don't care, just go and sit down." Brittany's voice was almost pleading as the group came into hearing distance, "Please, just leave it."

Mercedes who was sat beside her tapped her under the table and nodded her head in the direction of the teacher's table, and Santana quickly noted that both Principal Figgins and Miss Holiday were sitting at the table, both of them looking in the direction of the advancing group. Rolling her eyes Santana stood as the group continued to advance, almost tripping as one of the wheelchair boys who was sitting behind her moved his chair out at the exact moment she stood.

She turned to glare at him, noting that he was sitting at the table with her fellow Dazzler, Kurt, who also happened to be friends with Mercedes, and his group of gays Blaine and Sam. Biting her lip and holding back the grin for the sake of Kurt, Santana instead sent him a smile and turned her attention back to Quinn.

"What exactly is your problem, Santana? Are you jealous of Britt or are you just that much of a bitch that you need to have at least one person to victimise and you know Britt won't fight back?"

She felt Mercedes stand beside her and out of the corner of her eye she saw and basically felt Lauren, Matt, Kurt, Sam and Blaine take a stand too, moving in behind her. She felt herself smile, "Well that depends, Q" she said, basically spitting out the first letter of the blonde's name, "When did you start caring about your sister, was it when you started fucking Puckerman, because I know he seems like he cares about all that sentimental shit, but really, he wants in your pants and nothing more, or was it when I specifically pointed out how little you actually seemed to care about her, because the timing seems suspicious."

Quinn's fists had been balled through the whole exchange, but she released them and practically seemed to try and shake out the tension in her body when she moved to reply. "Why exactly do you care so much about me protecting Brittany? You're the one putting her through hell, why would it even cross your mind?"

Santana of course had no response to her question, and instead took a step forward and plastered a fake grin of triumph on her face. She lowered her voice however before she spoke, making sure that Quinn was the only one who could heat her, "He can't protect you from me you know. You think you can protect her now just because you have him on your arm? He'll never just be yours, that is who he is, and when he comes crawling back to me, you had better watch out, because then there will be nothing between me and her, get it?"

Her reaction was instant, and this time Santana didn't see it coming. She felt the hit to the side of her face before she even saw Quinn's hand move and she was responding before she knew what she was doing. She could hear the fighting break out all around her, feel as arms and legs and hands moved around her, but she only had one target. Quinn's hand landed in her hair and pulled, and her hands raised and landed in the blonde's in return, tugging with all her might at the blonde strands. She felt her knee come into contact with something hard and looked down to see Artie throwing his fist over his head at Mike's stomach, who was busy reaching for Matt's football jacket as he threw a punch of his own in the direction of Puck.

She couldn't see Brittany, though she saw sure she saw a flash on blonde hair as Quinn managed to pull her over to the nearest table and slam her hip into the side of it, causing Santana to groan in pain and let one hand fall from Quinn's hair and run her fingers down the girls face, pushing hard on it. She flailed out a leg at the same time and felt it connect with the blonde's knee, feeling her body crumple on one side at the impact.

There was yelling coming from all around, but mostly she could hear Miss Holiday screaming "break it up" at the top of her lungs, and not long after she felt herself being pulled away from Quinn.

"All of you!" she heard as she pushed of the senior who had pulled her off Quinn and looked over to where she could see Principal Figgins, "My office! NOW!"

She rolled her eyes at his dramatic hand movements and took a moment to collect her book bag and send a glare at Quinn before she followed her classmates out of the dining hall and into the hallway that lead to the main foyer.


	7. The New Directions

**Beautiful Belligerence  
**The New Directions  
_Zoe Rachael_

A/N: Next chapter, really enjoyed writing this, so I hope you enjoy reading it. Lol. Please review guys. Haha.

* * *

Glee Club.

Quinn Fabray in glee club.

She couldn't seem to get her head around the idea, no matter how much she thought about it. Though she had to admit, she didn't hate the idea, she secretly loved the excuse to sit in a room where she was free to sing and dance and not be ridiculed for it, well, at least she could hope.

After their lecture from Figgins in the principal's office, all of the students had been sent to detention and then forced into a room with all the old glee kids. Quinn found herself sitting beside the most annoying girl in the school and listening to the Spanish teacher slash boarding coordinator slash glee club director spouting off about team work and getting to know one another.

They sat in what seemed to have once been a green room used by the AV club for their more elaborate productions. The AV club at Douglass however were multi award winners and had their own building on the east side of the campus far away from the rest of the buildings which had been built entirely from alumni donations, leaving their old green room for glee club meetings and weekday practices.

The room was large, bright green cubes lined up against one wall and stacked into arena style seating where Quinn and the rest of the glee club were sitting. Miss Holiday was standing before them in front of the grand piano, a set of drums and various electric and acoustic guitars and bases. Quinn at first had been shocked to find just how much equipment the glee club had and was shocked to discover that they had on the school's payroll an entire instrumental band for their glee club performances and twice annual musicals.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Quinn returned her attention to Miss Holiday who was leaning back against the drum kit, a stern look on her face that Quinn had never witnessed before. She spoke to them in a tone that sent shivers down Quinn's spine.

"This is not going to be a vacation for you guys, nor is this optional. It is this, or you find somewhere else to go to school. You are all lucky that no one was hurt during the fight and if anyone had been, none of you would still be here. We have a zero tolerance policy on fighting and you all knew that." She paused, looking at Quinn directly with a scowl before turning to Santana and giving her the same look, causing both girls to drop their gaze to their laps. "That being said, if we had expelled you all a fair portion of the sophomore class would have been missing and it isn't something we wanted to do. So we are trying this, but if any of you want to leave, do it now, because this is your last chance."

All eyes snapped to Santana who was seated the other side of Brittany who was to Quinn's left. They all seemed to expect the brunette to stand and walk from the room, but to their surprise, she crossed her arms over her chest and pushed herself lower in her seat, her legs crossed, her gaze still focused on her lap.

Even as all the others in the room returned their attention to Miss Holiday, Quinn noticed that her sister didn't look away, and instead raised one of her hands to rest her head on it, placing her cheek in her palm, her elbow on her thigh and letting out a deep sigh. Quinn knew that there was something going on with her sister that she wasn't telling her, something to do with the brunette girl, but as Miss Holiday continued with her speech, she pushed it to the back of her mind.

She moved away from the drums towards the piano and leant over the stool to grab a hand full of paper from on top of the grand instrument. "Right," she stated, moving closer towards them, "This is our first song, I thought we could add it to our repertoire since we have the invitational coming up, and we will decide on a set list together in a couple of days. Right now though, we need to concentrate on becoming a team, getting to know one another's strengths and weaknesses and most of all, trying to understand one another better, which is what this punishment is all about."

Quinn heard Laura behind her scoff and watched as Miss Holiday sent a glare over her shoulder at the redhead.

The sheet music was handed around the group and before Quinn knew what was happening, she felt Rachel stand from beside her, letting go of Finn's hand and moving to stand behind Miss Holiday. Then she was talking, and while Quinn groaned internally, she heard many of the original glee members groan aloud as she did.

"First of all, I would like to welcome you all to New Directions, we are so glad to have you here and I am sure we will be able to find some way to showcase your talents…"

Miss Holiday was smiling at her as she continued to talk to the group, but Quinn tuned out, instead taking in the way Rachel's hands moved as she talked, wondering if there was anything the girl could do to make herself _more_ annoying. Eventually, after turning to Miss Holiday for permission and receiving an enthusiastic nod, Rachel was motioning to the room and from somewhere behind Quinn three members of the glee club emerged and Finn stood as well. Two of the boys who had come from behind her picked up guitars and the other took a seat at the piano while Finn sat behind the drums. Then, the music started and Rachel started singing, and Quinn found herself forgetting about everything else.

Her voice was amazing, she closed her eyes as she sang, making the song seem somehow sexual with the way her lips moved and she bit her bottom lip on brief pauses. Never had she thought that Ben Lee's hit could speak to her the way that it was when Rachel was singing it. She felt shivers run down her spine, she felt goose bumps rise on her arms and legs and she felt her heart rate increase.

She felt her legs move without her permission and next thing she knew, she was standing beside Rachel who was smiling sweetly at her through the song. Then Quinn opened her mouth and she sang, with more passion than she had thought possible. Brittany was the next to join in followed soon by Mercedes and Matt who pulled a reluctant Santana up to the other side of the piano. By the time the song ended all the original members of the glee club and all those forced to be there were standing, dancing around each other, singing their hearts out. On the last 'We're all in this together' Rachel took Quinn's hand and the two of them grinned at each other, finally coming to an understanding, finally finding something that they had in common.

* * *

Brittany found out quickly after the fight that her punishment to join the glee club had been the best thing that had happened to her since she had started at Douglass academy. The way she found herself completely free while letting her heart out in song and her body loose in dance, of course the happy smile that seemed to creep onto Santana's face during their practices in turn also made Brittany's spirits sore.

Santana wasn't one to smile. She smirked and grinned and sneered, but she never smiled, at least not until glee.

"For those of you who don't know, the national show choir committee has decided to hold Nationals in LA this year and I for one am determined to attend. That said, we should take this one step at a time, so… the Invitational."

Miss Holiday, seemingly the most involved member of staff at Douglass had decided that due to the circumstances as well as the quickly approaching deadline of the Invitational's, that glee practice would be held daily and so, for the third day in a row, Brittany found herself in the large green room, only this time sitting like they had during their first meeting, on the area seating to the side of the room, Miss Holiday facing them while she stood at the side of the piano.

Their practices over the previous two days had been completely about the music, each of the new members managing to find a song that popped and performing it for and with the remainder of the group. Miss Holiday for her part seemed pleased with the progress of the group as a team and decided that it was time they talked about their goals.

Brittany was sitting to the left of Tina, the two of them having claimed the back row after arriving first to the green room that afternoon. Quinn was in the row in front of them, sitting with Laura and Puck flanking her, Mike to Laura's left. In front of Puck was Finn who was holding tightly onto Rachel's hand. To Brittany's left was the group of original glee members, minus of course Rachel and Finn, separating their side of the room from the side that was occupied by Santana and her group of friends.

The Latina herself was in the front row, Lauran and Mercedes at her sides sitting in their usual fashion with their arms crossed in front of their chests. Artie, the wheelchair boy was at Lauren's left on the floor, with Sam, the reserve quarterback and the only single gay male at the academy holding onto the boy's chair. Behind Sam sat Kurt and Blaine, the resident gay couple who somehow still managed to hold onto their popularity while at the same time almost swallowing each other's faces between classes. The only member that was missing from the group was Matt who for some reason, was sitting behind the piano, his eyes trained on the back of Miss Holiday as she spoke.

Brittany for her part, wasn't watching or even really listening to her teacher. Instead she kept her thoughts and her eyes on the back of the Latina who she could see sitting in the front row through the bodies of the other glee members. Her two protectors had their legs crossed in front of them, and all three of them wore matching scowls. But Brittany wasn't scared of them, not even intimidated, somehow knowing that Santana, for her own reasons unbeknown to everyone around her, would not let her protectors touch her.

Walking the halls of Douglass on one of her first days at the academy, Brittany had accidently ran straight into Santana while searching for her classroom. Brittany's books had flown all around the room, the blonde dropping to her knees to pull them all back to her while Santana's books somehow managed to stay trapped tightly in her arms. The Latina had glared at her, as did the two girls who stood at her sides, taking a menacing step forward once the blonde had gathered her books and moved back to her feet. Just as Lauren had reached out a hand towards her however, Santana had raised her own arm to push her back, looking at Brittany confused as she did so.

Even with all the animosity between them, Brittany knew that she would come to no physical harm at the hands of Santana Lopez. Even during the fight while hands and feet were flying around her dramatically, she had remained completely untouched, none of Santana's friends laying a hand on her, and she just stood in the middle of it all, screaming for her sister to stop.

And so Brittany watched her, completely fearless of any retaliation if she were caught with her eyes constantly trained on the feisty girl. She watched as she crossed and uncrossed her legs, watched as she pushed falling strands of hair out of her eyes and watched with amazement as the girl leant her head to the side, exposing the long and strong lines of her neck. Brittany swallowed at the sight.

"We have a week and a half to come up with a set list for Invitational's, I was thinking we could do a mash-up of Umbrella and the friends theme song 'I'll Be There for You' just because they kind of spell out what I am trying to teach you guys about friendship and working together. But when it came down to actually mixing them together, I have been having trouble. So instead of taking that route, I'm putting forth the question, has anyone here seen Wicked?"

To Brittany's surprise, most of the group raised their hands, including Quinn and Brittany who had been to seen it with their mother in New York after she had been offered the film role of Glinda. Rachel's hand shot into the sky the highest at the front of the room, as though she would burst if anyone was in doubt that she had seen the show.

"Well…" Miss Holiday continued, "A version of _For Good_ in costume between Quinn and Rachel I think would be sensational, but I am not your dictator and it is your decision. So, anyone in favor of _'For Good'_?"

Brittany raised her hand in support of her sister, knowing that her blonde counterpart had one of the most amazing voices she had ever heard. She looked around, taking in that clearly over half of the group agreed with her and had their hands raised high in the air. The only hold outs coming from the side of the room that Santana and her friends occupied, Santana herself included.

Miss Holiday finished counting the hands and nodded to herself, "Excellent, I think that it will be a beautiful rendition of a song that is all about unlikely friendship. And sticking with the wicked theme I think that-"

"Defying Gravity."

The words came at exactly the same moment from both Rachel and Kurt sitting on Santana's side of the room. Brittany's eyes moved away from Santana and landed on the flamboyant boy who sat behind Santana and Mercedes. Brittany had yet to have much interaction with Kurt, though it was well known throughout the school that he was as manly as Richard Symonds. The boy himself seemed to only raise himself off the boy beside him to speak, and sank his entire body weight back into Blaine as eyes fell on him, Blaine's hands raising around his shoulders.

Miss Holiday, for her part smiled at the two, "Well, here's a thought… keeping Quinn and Rachel in character, why don't the three of you get together and make Defying Gravity a group opening for the Invitational," she said, looking between Kurt, Rachel and Quinn.

Miss Holiday stopped talking soon after, and while the remainder of the group broke into a pop version of Silverchair's _Straight Lines, _Quinn and Rachel met up with Kurt at the back of the green room. After the song, the group dispersed into their separate groups, collecting their books and bags from their seats before making their way to the door and out into the hallway. Brittany lingered at the door with Tina while the others stepped past them out of the room. Quinn was still in the green room, talking, or more accurately, listening to Rachel as she spoke, Finn and Puck smiling at the both of them before filing out of the room with the rest of the group.

Brittany tuned the conversation out, looking over to see that her sister had done the same. Sending Quinn a roll of her eyes and a smile, she then looked out the door and down the hallway to where she sensed Santana watching her.

She tried to smile at her, but the brunette scowled and turned away, looking instead at Puck who had his hand over her head, leaning down to her seductively. The sight made Brittany's stomach turn and she knew it had less to do with the fact that she was watching her sister's boyfriend flirt shamelessly with another girl and more to do with the fact that said girl was smiling and enjoying his company and not hers.

She had felt it from the first moment she had locked eyes on the girl, and had recognized it for what is was at the time. But after the endless insults and hurtful jokes at her expense, Brittany expected to find herself pulling away from the initial attraction that had her attention focused fully on the Latina, but instead found herself feeling things for the girl even more.

The blonde was well aware that she had no chance with the Latina, and it wasn't even about being with her, but more about wanting her, wanting her so badly, that worried her, considering their complete lack of any interaction that didn't humiliate the blonde.

"You ready?" she heard from behind her. She turned her attention from Santana and Puck to her sister who was standing in front of her, Rachel behind her.

Brittany forced a smile while at the same time forcing her thoughts about Santana out of her mind, "Yeah, let's go."

As she walked away with her sister and her friend, Brittany glanced over her shoulder one last time and one last time that day, locked eyes with Santana.


	8. The Facial

**Beautiful Belligerence  
**The Facial  
_Zoe Rachael_

A/N: Here it is finally. Sorry guys I have been sick, so here it is, please read and review.

* * *

Quinn's mind raced as she sat on her bed watching Rachel in front of her, her eyes closed in concentration as she belted from her core the last lines of her solo, a small smile playing at her lips.

She couldn't believe she was here. Her heart was pounding as she watched the diva in front of her in her room, her short skirt riding up her thighs a little as she took in a deep breath for her final note. How Rachel had ended up in her room, she felt ashamed of it, and knew that even though the diva was there, she had a lot of issues to work out for herself, and more importantly with her sister. But sitting there, letting Rachel's voice wash over her, she felt content to allow all her problems to just float away.

Rachel had approached her in the dining hall that morning asking if she was free at lunch. Quinn had jumped at the opportunity to practice her solo with the diva herself, she was scared about her upcoming performance, not that she would admit it, not even really to herself.

"Why are you nervous?" Brittany had asked her as they walked from the dining hall, her book bag slung over her shoulder and a piece of toast in her hand. "You used to be in the choir in middle school, your voice is really good."

Quinn took a moment to smile at her sister, watching her shove half of the toast into her mouth and chew quickly, "I don't know, I just feel weird."

Quinn and Brittany had been left alone to walk together after Puck, Mike, and Laura ran off to do something after breakfast. As they walked Quinn could feel Brittany staring at her, see her sister's look of concentration out of the corner of her eye. She ignored it at first, simply walking through the halls, one of her hands raised to her mouth as she gnawed nervously at her nails, her mind focused on what she would be doing at lunch. It wasn't until she saw Brittany's head tilt to the side in the same _Brittany head_ way that Quinn was used to that she stopped walking and pulled her sister to the side of the hallway.

"What?" she asked, her voice a little higher in pitch than usual. "Is there something on my face?"

Her sister, though slow when it came to academics, could usually read people, especially Quinn. Brittany knew Quinn inside and out and could read her moods like a book. So when her lips peaked at the corners in a smile, Quinn knew she was done for.

"Are you nervous about singing, or about singing with Rachel?"

Quinn's eyes went wide in less than a second, her top teeth jutting forward to pull her bottom lip between her pearly whites, a nervous twitch she had developed at a young age. At the action she saw a sparkle in Brittany's eyes and she wished she could take the action back, knowing that the other blonde knew exactly what it meant.

"What?" Her voice was still high pitched as she tried to deny what both she and Brittany were well aware of. "Why would singing with Treasure Trail have anything to do with it?"

Unfortunately for Quinn, Brittany's smile only widened. "Well… your face went bright red when Miss Holiday first suggested that you two should sing together. You have the same look on your face that you had with Annabelle." Her grin widened as Quinn's eyes did the same, and darted around the hall, checking to see if anyone was paying attention to them.

She could see Santana from where she was standing at the other end of the hall, Puck next to her, talking. But the Latina didn't seem to be paying any attention to the boy, instead focusing her gaze towards them, or more accurately, towards Brittany.

Her eyes fell back to her sister, and she begged silently that the blonde would keep her mouth shut, but Brittany's filter failed her, and she said the words Quinn wished she never would. "You like her."

"I-I-I…" Quinn was caught off guard, not expecting her sister to be able to see though her that easily, though she wasn't sure why she underestimated her so often. The truth was, Quinn had known since she had met the annoying brunette that there was a reason her habits grated on her nerves. Their interaction right from the moment they had met had held the same weight Quinn had shared with her ex-best friend who she had, right before their falling out, been on the verge of falling for.

The shorter blonde continued to stare shocked at her sister, until she felt a hand on her arm and heard a reassuring voice, "You don't have to hide anything from me Quinn." Her voice was sincere and for a moment, Quinn almost let it comfort her, but the next words set her off, "I'll always love you."

Quinn felt herself snap, "What the fuck would you know?" she screamed, watching the hurt cross her sister's face, quickly replaced with a kind of pity mixed with disappointment. But the look did nothing to stop the next bout of painful words from leaving Quinn's mouth.

"You think that just because you want to fuck the girl who makes your days here miserable that the rest of us do? Well I have news for you Brittany, not all of us are dykes. So don't even think about saying that to me again, she means nothing to me."

The next thing Quinn knew, she was marching down the hall to where she saw Rachel waiting for her class, taking from Puck's hand as she passed him and Santana, a grape slushy and without a second thought, threw it directly at Rachel.

The halls were silent as Quinn walked away from her sister and her fellow glee member, or at least the noise didn't penetrate over the ringing in her ears as she walked directly out of the building, across the grounds and locked herself in her room.

* * *

Brittany joined Rachel at the end of the hall and led her to the bathroom with Tina on their heels. Rachel was grateful for the girls help, and she found herself smiling at her in the mirror of the bathroom as Brittany and Tina rounded up a large amount of hand towels before approaching her.

"You don't have to help me Brittany," she said, taking the offered hand towel and wiping her face roughly with it. "I have done this many times by myself, even being the quarterback's girlfriend doesn't stop people from seeing me as the freak who quit the Dazzlers for the show choir."

Brittany stopped her frantic searching around the bathroom and turned to Rachel with a pained expression. "I… this is my fault."

Rachel actually laughed at this, finishing wiping off her face and taking another piece of hand towel to wipe her neck and shoulders. "Brittany, your sister's actions are not your fault just because you are related. I've actually found that the occasional slushy facial makes my hair shine a little bit brighter. Not to mention that these are the kind of hardships that the publishers will want to hear when writing my auto-biography."

The blonde's mood however was not improved by Rachel's words as she continued to look at the floor, her book bag still slung over her shoulder. "I… I said something to set her off. I should know that I can't push her. She… she didn't mean it, Rachel, she is just confused."

The Diva's eyebrows rose at the blonde's words, "Confused about what?"

It was at this that Brittany's head snapped up and looked Rachel in the eye, "Ah… nothing. She is scared about singing and she just doesn't know how to show weakness."

Rachel was a perceptive person, something which was usually overlooked in her as she spent most of her time either talking about herself or about how others should feel about her. In reality however, Rachel spent a lot of her time contemplating those around her. Her father had once told her that a performer was only successful if they could feel the same way their audience did. And so Rachel spent time learning how to read body language, and after some time, she found herself able to tell a lot about a person long before they opened their mouths.

And it was this talent that allowed her the knowledge that Brittany was lying to her, but she allowed it to pass. "I'm not mad at Quinn, Brittany. Your sister is a complicated person, I guessed something was going on with her the minute she started yelling at you."

The two shared a quiet moment of understanding before Rachel turned back to the mirror. "Go to class. I am fine here, I have a change of clothes in here anyway," she indicated her book bag.

Brittany and Tina both hesitated before they made their way out the bathroom door and Brittany still shot a look of guilt over her shoulder just before she closed the door behind her. Rachel couldn't help but smile at the girl's innocence.

After she got herself cleaned up and changed into the spare set of clothes that she kept in her bag for such an occasion, she pulled her phone out of the front pocket of her bag.

Much like her personality, her phone shone bright from the bling covering its front and back. She admired it as she used her thumb to flick it open and quickly typed a text message to Finn before she pushed the phone into her pocket and pushed open the bathroom door.

By the time she had finished in the bathroom, she had completely missed homeroom and decided that she had better make use of her supposed absence and moved in the opposite direction than her classroom and instead trekked across the quads to Taylor house.

She was familiar with the house itself, having spent most of her time the previous year in the West wing with Finn and his roommate Jean-Francis, but it had been a long time since she had been there, opting instead to spend most of their time in her room while her roommate Kirsty was out with her boyfriend Mark who was a member of the Harrison house.

The way the houses interacted within Douglass was nothing like Rachel had expected when she had started at the Academy the previous year. She had been told about the school long before she had started there, the stories about one of her father's childhood mostly being set in the grounds of Douglass Academy. He had told her while she was growing up about the competitive nature of the school's different houses, and he hadn't been wrong. But outside of artistic and athletic competition, the houses interacted together socially as if they didn't wear different uniforms.

Harrison house members still held a kind of superiority over the other houses. Taylor house still praised itself on being academically advanced. Monroe house was still the house that was physically gifted and her house, Grant house, was still the house that excelled when it came to the arts.

Her father had been a Harrison, and wore his greens proudly, but he showed no disappointment when she had been elected as a member of Grant house, and they often discussed the famous La Cross game of '83 when Grant and Harrison had faced off only to end the game as equals.

The halls of Taylor house were abandoned, and Rachel found herself staring aimlessly at the Taylor trophy cases as she walked up towards the second floor of the East wing that housed the female sophomore rooms. The carpet was blue, representing the house colour, much like in her house where the carpet was a deep purple, and the framed pictures on the walls had a blue mat, as did the pictures to the sides of the doors lining each side of the hall.

Just past a recent picture of the small eight-man Taylor cheerleading squad, in which Rachel instantly recognized Quinn and Mary-Ann, Rachel saw two separate pictures, framed separately and laid on each side of one of the doors lining the hall. In one of the pictures was Mary-Ann sporting her red Dazzlers uniform and a large smile, and on the other side of the door one of Quinn with a half-smile on her face and seemingly doing a half wave at the camera wearing her usual grey blazer, buttoned, her checked grey and blue skirt and knee-high grey socks. In the picture too was Brittany, standing beside and kind of behind her sister looking off into the distance, and by the look on her face, Rachel guessed she was watching Santana.

Without hesitation, Rachel raised her hand to the door and knocked three times in quick succession.

Thanking god for no peep holes, Rachel soon found herself face-to-face with Quinn Fabray, a wild look in her eyes and a scowl on her face at the sight of Rachel at her door.

"How did you even get in here?" Quinn asked, or more growled, and Rachel simply held up a swipe card embossed with the signature Taylor Tiger and Finn's name. Quinn rolled her eyes in response, standing, purposely in the doorway, not allowing Rachel entrance into her room. "What do you want?"

Rachel smiled slightly at Quinn's abrupt nature, it was something she respected, and something she had admired in the girl right from the moment she had met her.

The diva could tell that the blonde had been crying, the streaks of dried tears were evident on her cheeks and her bloodshot eyes a dead give-away to the fact. But Rachel chose to ignore it, moving instead onto the problem at hand.

"I know," she started slowly, wondering how to ease into this conversation with someone as stubborn at Quinn. "I know that you are going through something," she pushed, thinking that the only way she was going to get to say what she had to say was but saying it quickly, and so she continued. "I know that you are not comfortable sharing that with me, especially since you seem incapable of sharing whatever it is even with your own sister, but I wanted to tell you something about myself. I used to be a Dazzler, which I am sure you know. I came to this school, made friends with Santana and things ran smoothly for me, even after it came out that I grew up with two gay dads," she paused for a moment and was glad when Quinn didn't interrupt her.

"But being that person, a cheerleader, popular, it made me give up so much of myself and I was even willing to give up Finn to be that person I had become. But not long after I started dating Finn, I worked out just how much of myself I was giving up being this popular person. And I gave it all up, the cheerleading, the popularity, all my friends. I gave it all up for someone I love and the chance to do something I love. Glee club is that thing. I know you were all forced to join, and I think Figgins and Miss Holiday made a good choice in punishment, because I can honestly see a difference in all of you who have joined us, but this isn't a punishment for all of us," she paused again, trying to gauge Quinn's reaction, trying to work out if Quinn was understanding what she was trying to say.

"I want us to take Nationals this year and we have the talent. You are an amazing singer Quinn, and we all decided that our renditions of _For Good _and _Defying Gravity _were what we needed at this year's invitational. So I am asking you, despite your issues with me, or whatever you are going through, I am asking you to just get through this week with me. You never know, you might come to like me after this is all over."

Quinn stood there in silence for a long moment seemingly contemplating Rachel's words. Rachel stood there waiting, wondering if she should just walk away. But as she moved to do so, Quinn smiled at her and opened her door in invitation.

Rachel's smile grew as she walked across the threshold, but she ignored the butterflies in her stomach in favour of the tingling on her lower back when Quinn led her away from the door to close it behind them.


	9. The Invitational

**Beautiful Belligerence  
**The Invitational  
_Zoe Rachael_

A/N: The chapter was getting a little long, and I didn't get to include _For Good _ but I do have some ideas about using it later. Also I used the Wicked CD version of Defying Gravity because I love it, Kristen and Idina are so awesome.

Now you will notice a new character mentioned, and I just have to give a shout out to my girl Julie for the piece, because it just made me crack up laughing. Long story short, we were out on the town a few months ago and both of us were off our faces, and sitting at the bar at the loudest pub on Easter Saturday night of all nights, she screams at me, 'How is the Brianna thing going?' I was of course was confused until I realised that my friend listens so much to what I am saying that she thinks I'm writing not about Brittana, but about some random girl name Brianna. The sad part about this all is that she is like the biggest Glee and Heather Morris fan in the freaking world and yes… that may having something to do with the fact that she is a little like Brittany and by that, I do mean she is as dumb as a post. Julie and I are like Jules and Ellie from cougar town, and I am not Jules. Lol. So in her honour, Brianna is modelled after my friend Julie, and in a way, she will be making another appearance.

So please review guys, Julie needs her 15 seconds. Haha.

* * *

There was something about the atmosphere in the hall that night that had Santana buzzing. Principal Figgins had decided to combine the Glee clubs Invitational with the school bands first performance of the year.

Santana didn't know why, but when she walked into the hall that night, she felt herself literally humming with excitement.

If she was honest with herself, she was excited to be in glee club, excited to be given the opportunity to sing and not get ridiculed for it. She got to perform as a member of the Dazzlers, but as part of the glee club, she got a lot more than the opportunity to be a part of a winning performance, she got to be a part of something beautiful and she felt somewhat that she was finally able to be herself.

The band went on first; they were, in some ways, the pre-act to the glee club, though they were themselves extremely talented.

Artie was a part of the band as well, and sat in his wheel chair at the side of the stage rocking with his guitar, and Santana smiled at him, proud that he was able to showcase his talent so easily. He looked so at ease during his solo, and it made her envy him.

She was so nervous, not that she would admit it, and had, during the third song, motioned to Puck who after she had left the hall, had met her around the back of the building and did all he could to calm her nerves. It didn't help, to say the least.

As she walked back into the hall and took her seat between Lauren and Mercedes and watched Puck take his between Quinn and Brittany, her nerves returned full force.

Brittany's eyes found hers, and they spent a few minutes just looking at one another. In the dark hall, Santana didn't see the need to feign dislike for the girl who made her feel so much. She had long since stopped kidding herself about her feelings for Brittany; she had had it pointed out to her so many times that her interest in the girl was less than healthy.

In public she wasn't going to change, her past wouldn't let her, but it the darkness of the hall with the band playing an instrumental rendition of _4 Minutes, _Santana let herself and her blonde enemy see all the intensity in her eyes.

Neither of them looked away until the lights came on, and both of the girl's heads shot forward as the crowd cheered for the band.

The glee club made their way to the back of the hall to their dressing room. Santana followed Lauren and Mercedes who were pushing to the back of the room for a free spot. As they walked, Santana felt someone push into her side and instantly turned to them with a glare.

It was Brittany, from what Santana could see, the girl had been pushed by Kurt who was smiling at her and they were both giggling. For her part, Santana's eyes widened in both anger and jealousy. "What the hell?" she asked, though it came out as more of a demand, she looked directly at Kurt.

"I… ah…"

"Are you talking to the Delusion Queen?"

Quinn was at her sister's side in a heartbeat, but Santana's attention was focused on Kurt, who had attracted Blaine to his side.

"N-no I was-"

She cut him off, using her hand raised in his face to stop any excuses that were forthcoming from him. He talked to Brittany during Dazzler's practise, as did a lot of her friends, and she allowed it, simply because the blonde was one of their most talented performers, and she really wanted to win Nationals her first year as captain. But beyond that, anyone who wanted in her good graces steered clear of the girl.

She didn't care so much about Quinn and her posé, but Brittany was not fair game and everyone knew it. "Listen here Chad," she said, pointing at Kurt, "You stay up here," she raised her hand to her chin, "On the popularity chain because of me, despite the fact that you are a glaringly obvious homo explosion. You want to stay that way, don't talk to her."

Kurt backed up almost instantly, but I somehow knew that he was going to confront me later. He would never do it out in public, and Santana appreciated that he understood the image that she needed to convey. He was one of Santana's closest friends, and he knew something was up with her when it came to Brittany. Luckily for him, he was probably the only person she would really talk to about any of this; he was after all the only one of her friends that had any idea about her home life.

As she walked to the corner of the room so she could change into the rest of her costume, Santana glanced back at Brittany.

The blonde was looking at her, her own eyes filled with sadness. Santana allowed her eyes to convey her emotions for a micro second before her expression changed into one of hate and anger. Brittany turned away with a sigh, and Santana, in the light rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Her life was about appearances and for the sake of her appearance; Santana Lopez could never love a girl, let alone Brittany Pierce. She knew that if she allowed herself to truly feel anything for Brittany, her life as she knew it would only get worse.

She had already been adopted out once, she didn't want to be abandoned again.

* * *

Brittany's envy of her sister had disappeared many years before their arrival at Douglass. Having grown up together and being the same age, it was never really expected for them to get along at all, and so it was to everyone's surprise that that were the best of friends through most of their upbringing.

Of course, there had been that awkward time when Brittany had come out of her shell and told her sister that she didn't need her anymore, but the fight or more, disagreement had only lasted a few months.

Quinn, right from the time they started school always had her shit together. It was like the blonde knew that she wanted her school career to go in a specific direction right from the word go, and she played to her rule book accordingly.

Brittany remembered their first day in Kindergarten, their uniforms perfectly pressed and matching all those around them. Brittany had been more than nervous, still the suppressed daughter of a Hollywood director and famous soap actress. Quinn was Brittany's polar opposite, and stretched out her hands to the girl that would eventually become Quinn's posé. The girls were the same stuck-up cheerleaders that Quinn still wrote to back in LA.

It wasn't until their third year in Middle School that Brittany managed to break free from her sister, socially.

Brianna had been the girl to do it. She transferred in from South Carolina, and Brittany had been intrigued by her ways instantly. Always the type to ask questions and never shy, Brittany had approached Brianna and asked all the questions under the sun. The girl had been sweet and charismatic and made friends quickly. Brittany attached herself to Brianna and her friends immediately, much to Quinn's displeasure.

Unlike the plastic girls that hung off Quinn's every word, Brianna was the kind of girl that would laugh till she was bent over at any cheerleading performance and boo her own team if she disliked any single one person on the team. Brittany fell in love with the girl's evil humour, taking some amusement when Brianna would bust into giggles as they walked down the hallway after hearing one of the cheerleaders talk about their boyfriends or anything really that came out like a story that should be being told on Jerry Springer.

The girl was a red-head, and her personality was as fiery as her hair, her anger ready to rare up at any moment but her playful nature only a step behind. She would not walk into any room, but run or skip, she would always wear a smile and she used to say the kinds of things that should not come out of anyone under 21, but she entertained Brittany, and to the blonde, that was all that mattered.

It wasn't like Quinn and Brittany completely stopped speaking because of the girl, but their friendship was definitely challenged.

When Brianna left for Michigan a year later, Brittany and Quinn reconciled, but their social groups still remained partially divided, Brittany remaining with the friends that she had made with Brianna and Quinn keeping her plastic pose at her side no matter what.

There was some cross-over, however, meaning that Quinn did join in on their slumber parties, and Brittany was still a cheerleader. Things just worked out, and the envy that Brittany had once held for her sister who demanded attention, faded into the back of her mind.

It wasn't until the moment that they walked out on that stage that Brittany's envy resurfaced.

Her sister had apologised for her outburst in the corridor earlier that week, like Brittany knew she would. Quinn had always had a short fuse and was no stranger to apologies. What had shocked her though was the new found friendship that seemed to have formed between her sister and Rachel because of the facial.

Brittany wasn't blind, and she knew her sister better than anyone did. She knew what her sister was doing, knew that her 'dislike' for the diva had been a defence mechanism, just like her relationship with Puckerman was a cover. It was Rachel that confused her, Rachel who was sending mixed signals, not to mention picking up on only a few that her sister was sending.

Brittany knew it shouldn't bother her, but watching the growing relationship between the two while having her non-friendship with the girl of her desires thrown in her face, somehow it did.

As they filed onto the stage behind the curtain, Brittany chanced a look at her sister. She was wearing a long, pink Barbie doll dress, puffed out at the sides. She held a star-shaped _wand _in her hand. She was smiling at Rachel, who looked even more ridiculous than Quinn with her face and hands painted green and her body covered in long black robes.

They were the definition of opposites and yet they managed to complement each other. The smiles on their faces demonstrated just how happy and excited they were, but Brittany saw Quinn worrying her hands together, and playing with her hair, something that just proved to Brittany that her sister was nervous.

Santana was on the other side of the stage and she glanced at her as they were announced. They were wearing matching costumes, both had their hair down and were in complete symmetry, unlike her sister and her duet partner, and yet after their encounter in the changing room, Brittany never felt more separated from the object of her affection.

The curtains went up on them and Quinn stepped forward, somehow managing to face Rachel who was behind her and the crowd at the same time.

"Elphaba- why couldn't you have stayed calm for once, instead of flying off the handle!"

There was a beat from the band beside them and Rachel stepped forward to join Quinn as the blonde started singing.

_I hope you're happy!  
I hope you're happy now  
I hope you're happy how you  
Hurt your cause forever  
I hope you think you're clever!_

Quinn's voice was incredible, and Brittany couldn't help but smile at the dramatics she put into her opening lines.

Rachel walked in front of Quinn, her eyes filled with something deep, Brittany had never seen in such intensity before.

_I hope you're happy _

_I hope you're happy, too  
I hope you're proud how you  
would grovel in submission  
to feed your own ambition_

They joined together in the centre of the stage and circled one another.

The intensity between them played off beautifully with the song as they joined together in harmony.

_So though I can't imagine how  
I hope you're happy  
Right!  
Now!_

Quinn took a step forward and reached for Rachel's hands, "Elphie, listen to me. Just say you're sorry."

_You can still be with the Wizard  
what you've worked and waited for  
you can have all you ever wanted-_

Rachel looked down at their joined hands, "I know," she said sadly.

_But I don't want it -  
No  
I can't want it  
anymore:_

The girls and Kurt stood at the back of the stage moved forward in sync to the music, and Brittany sung first.

_Something has changed within me_

Santana was next and she looked over from the far side of the stage as she sung.

_Something is not the same_

Mercedes belted out the next line, but Brittany's eyes were focused on Santana, who was still looking her directly in the eye.

_I'm through with playing by the rules  
of someone else's game_

Laura was next to Brittany, and her voice was oddly chilling as she sang.

_Too late for second-guessing_

Tina and Lauren took their turns respectively, both of them closing their eyes as they opened their mouths.

_Too late to go back to sleep_

_It's time to trust my instincts_

It was Kurt who finished off, belting out his line as though his life depended on it.

_Close my eyes: and leap!_

The music kicked in and in harmony as they rest of the club joined them from the back of the hall, running down the aisles.

_It's time to try  
defying gravity  
I think I'll try  
defying gravity  
and you can't pull me down!_

The rest of the club had settled in between them as Quinn took off on her next line, her whole attention on Rachel, as though they were still in one of their private rehearsals, and the audience wasn't there at all.

_Can't I make you understand?  
You're having delusions of grandeur:_

Rachel on the other hand was focused on the broom that was on the ground at the front of the stage and she took a hesitant step towards it.

_I'm through accepting limits  
'cause someone says they're so_

Brittany rushed forward, joining Rachel and pushing her forward towards the broom as she sung.

_Some things I cannot change  
But till I try, I'll never know!_

Santana then joined them, her voice ringing out as the three of them stood over the broom.

_Too long I've been afraid of  
Losing love I guess I've lost_

Mercedes came up behind them and together, all four of them reached down for the broom.

_Well, if that's love  
It comes at much too high a cost!_

Kurt and Tina ran to Quinn's side and as a group they all continued.

_I'd sooner buy  
Defying gravity  
Kiss me goodbye  
I'm defying gravity  
And you can't pull me down:_

Rachel turned on her spot to face Quinn who was behind her, the broom firmly in her grasp. "Glinda- come with me," she motioned to the broom, "Think of what we could do: together."

They all belted out the next line, wanting the audience to remember, it having so much to do with Rachel and Quinn's encore duet.

_Unlimited  
Together we're unlimited  
Together we'll be the greatest team  
There's ever been_

Rachel and Quinn were facing each other smiling, their hands once again joined between them, Rachel's broom half-forgotten resting at the crook of her elbow.

They sang too each other, Rachel first.

_Glinda -  
Dreams, the way we planned 'em_

Quinn, Brittany could see, was more than just acting at this point, she was actually singing to Rachel.

_If we work in tandem:_

Then everyone joined in.

_There's no fight we cannot win  
Just you and I  
Defying gravity  
With you and I  
Defying gravity_

Then Rachel on her own, she too singing to Quinn, not to Glinda.

_They'll never bring us down!_

"Well? Are you coming?" Rachel asked, her eyes darting briefly to the broom.

Quinn looked saddened, her gaze falling to the floor.

_I hope you're happy  
Now that you're choosing this_

Rachel nodded, "You too."

_I hope it brings you bliss_

Brittany, Santana and Mercedes stepped to the side and back to their original positions, letting Quinn and Rachel, holding hands, to move between them to the front of the stage. The whole group joining in for the next verse.

_I really hope you get it  
And you don't live to regret it  
I hope you're happy in the end  
I hope you're happy, my friend:_

It was then Rachel's turn to shine and she belted out Elphaba's part with a passion that almost brought tears to Brittany's eyes.

_So if you care to find me  
Look to the western sky!  
As someone told me lately:  
"Everyone deserves the chance to fly!"  
And if I'm flying solo  
At least I'm flying free  
To those who'd ground me  
Take a message back from me_

Quinn and Rachel were grinning at each other, completely out of character as the rest of the group joined in.

_Tell them how I am  
Defying gravity  
I'm flying high  
Defying gravity  
And soon I'll match them in renown  
And nobody in all of Oz  
No Wizard that there is or was  
Is ever gonna bring me down!_

Brittany and the rest of the girls, including Kurt stepped to the back of the stage as all the boys created a circle around Quinn and Rachel.

Quinn held on to Rachel's hand for as long as she could as Rachel backed up, trying to escape the touch of the boys as they all reached for her.

_I hope you're happy!_

They boys yelled more than sang their lines, but the effect worked well with the atmosphere.

_Look at her, she's wicked!  
Get her!_

Rachel's arm fell captive to Finn, and she reached out the other for Quinn.

_Bring me down!_

_No one mourns the wicked  
So we've got to bring her_

Rachel sang her scream.

_Ahhh!_

Quinn pulled Rachel free from Finn and the two of then ran to the back of the stage, the boys following closely as they sang the closing line over Rachel's scream.

_Down!_

5


	10. The Confessions

**Beautiful Belligerence  
**The Confessions  
_Zoe Rachael_

A/N: This has taken me weeks of writing bits and pieces on my breaks at work. I'm sorry it took so long guys, but finally I have finished. Hope you like it. Also I've had some reviews asking if this and my other story is turning more Faberry then Brittana, in answer, no these aren't Faberry stories, both of them I plan on making equally Faberry and Brittana story lines, however, since the end of season 2 my Brittana bone has been slowly healing to the point where I can now write them and not feel ill. Sorry to all the Brittana fans, but I assure you, their time will come.

* * *

"What is it about gay and music that seem to go so well together?"

Quinn's head snapped around to her sister who was lying on her stomach across her pink bed spread, her knee's bent and calves and feet moving back and forth in time to an imaginary beat as she stared down at one of her assignment sheets.

Quinn's own mind had been on her encounter with Rachel earlier that day. After their connection on stage at the Invitational, Quinn had been avoiding the fiery brunette, a conscious decision that didn't go unnoticed by Rachel.

After a week of trying, Rachel had finally managed to corner Quinn after chemistry to confront her. As usual, Quinn had acted like a total bitch and fended the girl off, but since then, she couldn't get her mind off her lab partner. It wasn't until Brittany's completely random statement that Quinn's mind even veered away from the Diva.

"Meaning?"

Brittany didn't look up from her school work, her line of vision still trained down, but Quinn saw her fellow blonde's eyes unfocus and watched her head tilt in the very unique Brittany way and Quinn could tell she was thinking hard about something.

It took a long moment before Brittany voiced her thoughts but when she did, all previous thoughts left Quinn as she gave Brittany her full attention.

"Well, there's Kurt and Blaine, literally the two biggest fags I've ever met which considering we basically live in West Hollywood is saying something. Then of course Kristine and Clara, both of which I would bone by the way, but who are so totally adorable and in love. Me. Rachel with her two gay dads' and her crushing on you. There are you and…" Brittany paused in her monologue; either that or Quinn's brain tuned out the remainder of her words.

For Brittany to blatantly state both that she was gay and that Rachel was 'crushing on her' in the same sentence was enough for Quinn's brain to short circuit.

Completely oblivious to Quinn's discomfort, Brittany's words did eventually penetrate Quinn's ears just as her sister said, "And Santana," which literally caused Quinn to choke on air.

As her eyes bulged as her sister looked at her, Quinn broke into a coughing fit and closed her eyes as tears escaped from their ducts, "Santana?"

Brittany gazed at her sister as though she had grown another head, the 'Brittany head' show of complete confusion tilting to the right.

"Santana Lopez? Screws anything male that moves? That Santana." Brittany nodded, though it looked rather difficult with her head still tilted, "You think she's gay?"

Something in Quinn's head snapped and she gaped at her sister. Everything made a little more sense, Brittany's instant submission to the Latina, her refusal to let Quinn handle the girl herself, it all slotted into place.

"Are you sleeping with her?" she asked, her voice conveying her complete shock.

At Brittany's uncharacteristic scoff, everything that finally seemed to fit quickly jarred out of place like grinding the gears in their father's F-250.

It didn't make sense to her how her sister, previously so passionate about who she was and what she believed in that she would stand up to anyone, could lose everything about herself unless it was for something breathtaking. Her fellow blonde seemed to be such a shadow of her former self and she knew somehow that Santana was behind it, but she still didn't know why.

Though Brittany was far from a genius, she was well trained and well versed in sarcastic replies and witty comebacks. She had stood on her own two feet beside Quinn as 'Queen Bee' at their old school in LA, which was why her nervous behaviour and complete submission to Santana was so hard for Quinn to understand.

"Tell me," Quinn finally asked her sister after all this time, "What is it about Santana Lopez?"

The taller blonde's eyes saddened as they met her sister's for a brief moment before she shook her head, looking back down at her assignment and mumbling.

"Speak-up Sis."

There was a brief moment that Quinn thought her sister was going to ignore the question. That was until she saw her sister look up, a hard, foreign look on her face.

"She likes me."

It was Quinn's turn to stare in silence, her raised eyebrows enough of a question for Brittany to continue.

"She pretends to hate me because she can't handle that she likes me. When we're alone, she… she gets this look-"

Quinn finally found her voice and spoke over her sister, "Britt… she spends every day making your life hell. I've heard her tell people that if they don't hate you, they're on her shit list!" She paused, in complete disbelief that her sister would think this about the one person that had it in for her. "How does that translate into her liking you?"

Brittany remained silent and Quinn wondered for a brief moment if she was crying.

"Talk to me Britt. Why do you think she likes you?"

There were tears in Brittany's eyes when she looked up, but none had fallen. Quinn had never seen her sister look more broken, "I don't think Quinn, I know. I know she likes me."

A simple, "How?" was all that was needed to spur Brittany on.

"Sometimes, she looks so vulnerable, so broken and she looks at me like only I can save her. Her eyes say so much behind that wall she keeps up and when she looks at me, she shows it all."

Quinn was a little taken aback by the emotion in Brittany's usually bubbly voice. She's seen Britt thought a few intense relationships and never had she seen her sister so clearly hung-up.

"You're-"

Brittany cut her off, "I'm sure, Quinn."

Though the answer was obvious to her given how she could read her sister like a book, she asked, "And you?"

It looked to Quinn as though Brittany was trying to decide whether or not to be truthful. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth like she would before she told a lie, and then she released it and shook her head. "I think she's the one."

The words were so sincere that Quinn found herself have a rush of affection for both her sister and surprisingly, for Santana.

It wasn't like her opinion of the girl changed in a heartbeat, she still detested Santana and everything the girl had put her sister through, but as she sat there, watching as her sister turned her attention back to her homework, Quinn's mind began forming a plan. "Then what are we going to do about it?"

* * *

Rachel Berry was frustrated.

It wasn't like this was the first time her boyfriend had denied her sex, nor, she suspected, would it be the last, but this time, it got to her. As she walked the halls, her mind wandering over every topic she could grasp at, most of them focusing on Finn Hudson's demise, she couldn't help but notice her fellow Grant and former friend, Natalie, walking towards her down the purple hallway.

Rachel, of course, had no problem with Natalie, their friendship not so much ending, as coming to a standstill due to their previous mutual friend and Dazzler, Santana freaking Lopez.

Santana.

Rachel liked to blame her former friend for all of her current problems. During the months since their friendship had fallen apart, the two of them had very little to do with each other. Santana knew that Rachel was fully aware of her secrets and chose not to antagonize the neurotic singer in hopes of avoiding the spilling of them to other enemies of the popular Dazzler.

It wasn't until the addition of Quinn Fabray and Brittany Pierce to Douglas and the Dazzlers that Rachel even found herself back on Santana's radar.

The diva was still unsure why she found herself coming to Quinn's rescue at the party the night she and Puck began their relationship, but since then, Rachel found herself the butt of Santana's jokes more frequently, though it could have a lot to do with their now mutual membership of the glee club.

It was Santana who dubbed her boyfriend with the nickname of Finnocence, though as time went on, Rachel found herself using it more and more in her head. It was the prefect name for him, she had realized just a few weeks after their reconciliation.

Before their break-up, Finn and Rachel had only slept together twice, the first time was a first for both of them, it was clumsy and awkward and anything but romantic. The second time had been the morning of their break-up, and Rachel had approached him with the intent of fixing their problems, with his clumsy hands and lanky arms and legs, the second time was only just better than their first.

During their separation Rachel had spent a few nights in the company of men, even one with a woman, but all in all, her experiences were nothing special.

Noah Puckerman had been the highlight of her sexual experiences and Rachel was determined to change that.

Her first few attempts at seducing her boyfriend had been extremely over the top. She had lit candles and melted chocolate to dip strawberries. But unlike before their break-up, Finn seemed to want little to do with Rachel sexually.

Rachel, to begin with wondered what had changed, wondered if she had done something that would cause his sexual feelings for her to dissipate. That was until one night when she had walked into his room and found him masturbating over a picture of the Dazzlers, moaning Natalie's name as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

At first she had been upset, torn up inside at the thought of her boyfriend, the one she had once thought she would be able to spend her life with. Finn, surprisingly picked up on her upset, though he offered little reassurance or comfort. It was Quinn, walking through the halls watching Noah faun over Santana without so much as batting an eyelid that changed her tune on Finn's little crush on Natalie.

Though it did little to quell her frustration. At least Quinn was still getting some from Noah even if he was servicing half of the Sophomore year as well.

Natalie, for her part seemed completely oblivious, both to Finn's little crush and Rachel in general, and passed the Diva in the Grant hallway without so much as a nod of the head.

Rachel chucked another lap of the building before she buzzed out the main entryway and started wandering the grounds.

As she walked, her mind wandered, as she walked further away from both the Grant house towards the Taylor quad which was housed in the middle of the three long buildings that made up the Taylor house, her mind landed on Quinn.

Quinn was the kind of girl who held everything about her close to her chest. Everyone she had spoken to about the blonde, apart from her sister, knew very little about her. She was hard to read, something Rachel had picked up on from day one, and in that realization, Rachel also found herself a challenge.

So she watched Quinn, interacted with her as frequently as she could, tried as she would with anyone, to get the blonde to open up to her but with no success. Every time Rachel thought she was getting close, the stubborn blonde would take a giant leap back in their budding friendship.

This past week had been no exception. Since their spectacular Wicked performance, Quinn had been avoiding her, though Rachel was clueless as to why. She had thought the two of them had connected during their performance, formed a repour of sorts, but Quinn's behaviour since seemed to contradict Rachel's thinking.

Rachel had been stuck to Noah's side since the night of the Invitational, as though she was trying to prove something, though Rachel was unsure to who she was trying to show her 'affections' to Noah.

It was clear to almost all of the sophomore class that Quinn's feelings for Noah Puckerman were completely platonic. There was more passion in her eyes and in her voice when she spoke to Santana and everyone knew the two Dazzlers loathed each other. The blonde was keeping up appearances, using Noah much like Noah was using her. The two of them had an understanding, one that Rachel envied.

As she walked towards the East entrance to the Taylor house, Rachel heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Finn running towards her, his lanky arms and legs moving in a way that in the dark, made him look like Frankenstein's monster.

"Rachel, what are you doing here?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

Rachel was almost annoyed enough to ignore him and continue up to Quinn's room on the second floor. She fought the urge, however, and turned to face Finn.

He looked a lot different in his weekend close as opposed to his usual Grey and Blue uniform. He wasn't handsome in the way most girl found boys attractive. His hands were large and his torso was long and solid, his muscles were almost non-existent and his patchy facial hair was enough to cause Rachel to scream at him almost every afternoon when it re-appeared. He was however, kind when he put his mind to it, sweet and gentle and he did have eyes the colour a rainforest, some mixture between green and brown that made Rachel feel completely at peace.

When they had stared their relationship in their Freshman year, Rachel had been ready to give up everything to be with him. She quit being a cheerleader, she lost a most important friendship with Santana and at the time, it had all been worth it.

But Rachel wasn't stupid. She knew that their break-up before the Summer had been about more than just being apart for three months. Finn had hurt her with his impartiality, hurt her with his need to be with his friends more than her. Upon getting back together, Finn had promised her things would be different, and they were. He was there for her more, asked her about her day even if he didn't listen when she answered. He truly was making an effort emotionally, but Rachel wasn't feeling it.

Rachel wanted passion, she wanted to want someone and for someone to want her. She couldn't pinpoint the moment she had stopped desiring Finn, all she knew was when she looked at him, all she saw was a convenience, much like Noah was for Quinn.

And so Rachel had made a decision, "I was just seeing that you got back here okay. I'm going to see Miss Holiday now. See you at breakfast?"

After a quick kiss and an awkward smile, Rachel rushed away from the Taylor house across the grounds towards the Teacher's Quarters.

Holly Holiday had been Rachel's favourite teacher before the diva had even joined glee club. The blonde bombshell had everything going for her. She was a great teacher, had an incredible voice, she was smart, beautiful, friendly, funny and most importantly, caring.

She cared about her students, cared about their quality of life, about their hopes and dreams. Rachel often saw the woman as the mother she never had and often approached her with questions or hopes of advice.

It was council she was seeking this time as she strolled down the halls of the teacher's quarters late on a Saturday evening.

It was often on a weekend that the Diva would seek out the Glee Director in hopes of discussing upcoming assignments or song choice so Rachel found no need to call ahead to ask if it was okay that she stop by, an action she regretted when she found herself getting closer to Miss Holiday's room.

"You want me to create an assignment in glee to force Santana to talk to Brittany?"

Rachel was intrigued by the words, not to mention the tone her teacher was using, a hint of excitement and raw amusement. Rachel slowed her approach to the open door, hoping the discussion with whoever would not last long, but the responding voice caused Rachel to freeze in her tracks and plant herself against the wall in order to make sure she was not seen.

"No. I…" It was Quinn and she seemed to be struggling with her words. "Brittany doesn't want to push. She thinks that Santana will get over whatever it is eventually, but the girl is stubborn. She has yet to have a civilized conversation with my sister, I want to make sure that doesn't take two years to accomplish. And if Brittany is wrong, if Santana is the heartless bitch I have always seen her as, putting them together will cause Britt to see that and hopefully move past this…" Quinn trailed off, but Rachel's mind filled in the word, 'obsession' without any outside prompting.

"How do you want me to do this? Won't it be a little obvious if I just walk in there on Monday and ask them to sit together?"

Rachel's mind was working hard, trying to fill in the blanks from the missed beginning of the conversation. Her mouth, however, seemed to be working faster than her mind because before she has even formed a thought her legs were walking her around the door frame and her mouth formed one simple word. "Ballads."

8


End file.
